Automation and increasing number of auxiliary systems are driving the growing automotive electronic controllers market. However, this does not lessen the competitive pressure on manufacturers. To address this challenge, the Bosch Ansbach plant has introduced a new generation of modular production units for different production volumes and equipment types, with the aim of reducing the space required as well as CO2 emissions through a compact design. The application of the new compact ctrlX DRIVE system plays an important role in achieving this goal.

Since 1957, Robert Bosch AG has been operating a production plant in Ansbach for the manufacture of electronic controllers and electromechanical components for vehicle systems. As the main manufacturer of specific types of controllers, the Ansbach plant is responsible for the industrialization of specific products in the international production layout.

In addition to reducing costs and increasing functionality, the customer also wanted to reduce CO2 emissions from production activities with the new controller, which required adapting the existing production concept to meet the new requirements.

Compact drives for compact production units

After an evaluation, the project leaders decided to utilize Bosch Rexroth’s AUTOMATION toolkit ctrlX AUTOMATION for most of the project. As a provider of automation solutions, Bosch Rexroth has been an important partner for mechanical engineers at the Bosch Ansbach plant.

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Friedrich Großmann, head of technical and electrical planning at the Ansbach plant, explains: “The IndraDrive Cs drive controller provides us with a good experience. Initial test results from the prototype of our new servo system, ctrlX DRIVE, give us confidence to continue moving towards a more compact design. In collaboration with our leaders, we quickly developed a production plan for the new ctrlX DRIVE and integrated it into our compact production unit from the very beginning.”

Planning began in early 2020, and with the handover of EnDat2.2 encoder security functions, development of the new controller was completed in mid-2022. Users and developers communicate regularly, any problems are resolved quickly, and product delivery is guaranteed.

ctrlX DRIVE

Regarding the creation of the solution with Bosch Rexroth, Veit said: “The actual development time was about half a year, including electrical planning and software creation time. During the trial run, the shuttle was tested in real situations and the results exceeded our expectations.”

Due to the more compact size, storage density in new projects can be significantly increased. At the same time, the solution is 100% compatible with existing systems. It can be connected via a radio link via Profinet/IO or Ethernet/IP to communicate with higher level control systems.